


Of Fae and Fate

by WhisperedSecretsss



Series: Of Fae and Fate [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: ??????, Alternate Universe - Fae, Brief mentions of violence/gore, Creepy voldemort/tom riddle, Fae & Fairies, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, There is no hint of fluff to be seen....except maybe there is?, Uhhh slightly dark??, Voldie is some sort of angsty monster but also handsome fairy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:02:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21925648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhisperedSecretsss/pseuds/WhisperedSecretsss
Summary: There were three rules the inhabitants of Godric's Hollow lived by.Firstly, any strange events that occurred were to be dismissed.Secondly, one must always be inside by the time the last rays of sunlight had set and night overtook.And perhaps most important of all was to never step foot within the forest.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle
Series: Of Fae and Fate [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579732
Comments: 6
Kudos: 78
Collections: Chamber of Secrets' Winter Exchange (2019)





	1. The Fae of the Forbidden Forest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Snowy_Rain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowy_Rain/gifts).



There were three rules the inhabitants of Godric's Hollow lived by.

Firstly, any strange events that occurred were to be dismissed. These occurrences were to be swept off as simple figments of the imagination and left in the recesses of one’s mind to be forgotten about.

Secondly, one must always be inside by the time the last rays of sunlight had set and night overtook. Doors and windows were to be locked and a candle should be lit so as to keep the shadows contained to the corners.

And perhaps most important of all was to never step foot within the forest. The Forbidden Forest as it was aptly named, was a large wood that spanned around the hollow of which it was rumored lived a world not of the villagers own. The local children often held games to see who could creep the closest to the forest's edge however no soul ever entered the threshold. In the depths of winter, one could often hear the whispered stories of young men having set quest within the wood only to never to be seen again.

Harry had grown up watching the forest and its shadows for as long as he could remember. On days when his Uncle sent him to collect firewood from the fallen branches, he always felt as though someone or something was watching him. However, when he would peek over his shoulder there would be nothing there but the silent trees to meet his eyes.

He even once remembered one early morning when going to collect eggs from the hens he had found a massacre of bloodied feathers and strewn bodies. Vernon had blamed Harry for the incident and as punishment locked him in his cupboard for a week, only being allowed out to perform the daily chores his cousin Dudley refused to do.

As he had sat curled up in his cupboard with spiders as his only companions, Harry pondered over the incident as strange for although there were wild animals who prowled the perimeters at times, this was no mere work of a fox or dog. He vividly saw in the darkness how despite the bloody scene, the hen’s necks had been slit and their bellies gutted as if by knife rather than teeth. Not to mention the half smeared bloody handprint on the latch to their pen. Strange things had always happened when it concerned Harry and because of this he simply dismissed it and the occurrence soon faded from his mind, although this would only be the beginning of the signs which were to come.

~~~

Over the years as Harry grew up into a boy of knobbly knees and constantly broken glasses, the strange incidents occurred more and more.

From his hair miraculously growing back overnight after it was all but shaved off by his Aunt to somehow being able to shrink Dudley's too large clothes when he was forced to wear them.  
He tended to ignore these weird events but it did not evade the attention of his relatives. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were the type of people who in no way wanted to be associated with what they termed as "freaky events". As for Dudley, well he and his gang had enough fun harassing harry whether it being name calling or their favorite pastime of "Harry Hunting".

It was during one such game of Harry hunting that Harry found he could no longer ignore the strange qualities he had. Again he remembered the incident quite well wherein he had been desperately searching for a place to hide after being cornered by the Dudley's gang in a neighbor's small barn when he found himself squished between bales of hay. The whole ordeal had been rather disorientating but not a few seconds later he heard the voices of his chasers appear only it was as if they were coming from below him. He had waited until they gave up their search before peeking out over the bales only to see he had somehow managed to get into the hayloft. Although he was safe, this feat should have been impossible alone given that there was no ladder to climb and the loft itself was positioned too high to jump to.

The notable incidents eventually also reached the eyes of the other inhabitants in town and Harry was branded a "freak" which was in no way discouraged by his relatives.

Things had just started to look bleak in his miserable existence when Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger entered his life.

~~~

It had been a cold morning, the type of cold where you huddled together with your enemy to conserve warmth. Vernon had sent him out again to collect more kindling only this time Harry decided to instead enjoy the quietness of the morning and the fragile scenery with the falling snowflakes. Harry had been alone, sitting on the fence, which bordered the town, watching the forest when he felt a presence sit themselves down next to him.

He turned to meet the freckled face of a boy with a shocking head of ginger hair. The boy did not meet his look as he instead like Harry had done, simply stared off into the forest.

Harry had briefly hesitated, wondering if the boy had come here to mock him and if he should leave when the boy suddenly spoke. "My Uncles were taken by the forest." The ginger boy let out a deep breath causing a foggy cloud of smoke smoke to hang in the air.

Harry hadn't known what to say. He too had lost things to the forest and maybe the boy simply wanted to commiserate with him.

"I'm sorry," he softly said and the boy gave him a brief but sad smile in response.

"it's not your fault, besides-"the ginger shifted off of the fence to angle himself towards Harry-"the faeries are the one who took them."

Harry was slightly confused. He had never heard of what a "faerie" was. "What do you mean by Faeries," he questioned the boy. As far as he knew and led himself to believe, the forest was only home to small animals and the occasional pack of wolf of deer.

The boy briefly glanced to the forest, as if looking to see if this so called faerie would jump out a them. Assessing that the two were quite alone, he seemed to relax.

"I'm Ron Weasley," he said, sticking out his hand to harry.

Harry looked at the outstretched palm and for the first time in a while, a warmth seemed to encase him despite the snow which fell around them. "I'm Harry," he said, accepting the boys hand. "Harry Potter."

The boy, Ron, grinned at his acceptance. "I've heard a lot about you, " he teasingly told him as Harry returned his hand to his pocket.

Ah. The warmth which he had previously felt dwindled. Here it was. Harry had been right all alone. If he had heard about him then Ron would probably make fun about Harry's freakishness. Harry prepared himself for the oncoming dejection he could feel. Of course, who would ever want to associate themselves with someone like him.

"I've heard a lot about you," Ron repeated but he paused as if collecting his thoughts. Shrugging he continued on. "But I don't think the rumors about you are true."

Harry could feel a sprout of hope grow. “Really,” he questioned him, "you don't believe them?”

“Truly” Ron replied. He sat back next to Harry on the fence and from there the two boys began to talk about their lives, although they were not alone for long.

~~~

“Don't you know it's not safe to be so close to the forest," a shrill voice called, interrupting the brief budding camaraderie between the two boys.

Spooked, they both quickly turned from each other expecting to get a scolding from one of the adults only to meet the chastising gaze of a girl with rather bushy hair.

She must have seen them on the fence and crossed over to reprimand them. She reminded Harry of a cat, with her hands on her hips and bushy hair standing on end like an angry feline.

"I would warn you but I'm sure you've heard the stories," She said while glaring at them when they didn't give a response.

"Harry and I were actually having a nice conversation before you butted in," Ron grumbled at her, the tips of his ears pink.

"I'm sorry I so rudely butted in," The girl huffed out as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I was just simply trying to warn you."

Harry looked at her, and in spite of her prickly exterior, he could see the glimmer of a girl who like him and Ron, found herself alone on a cold day like this.

“It’s alright,” Harry told her and despite Ron’s clear annoyance of her, he couldn't help but feel a desire of friendship coming from her.

“Would you like to join us,” he asked the girl. Her mouth opened in shock, perhaps she thought she would have been rejected. He saw her glance hesitantly at the forest but apparently that was not enough to scare her off and she joined them onto of the fence.

That day Harry gained his first real friend and not soon after the two turned into three, as Hermione Granger as she was called, joined their friendship.

~~~

As Harry soon came to find out, friendship with Ron and Hermione proved to be rather interesting.

Ron he learned came from a large family and was one of the youngest of all his siblings. He always bemoaned his situation but at times Harry secretly envied him for he would much rather have Ron's family than his own relatives. For Hermione's part, she lived with her parents who worked as doctors that would regularly leave to go on call to other villages and towns.

Despite the many heated arguments Ron and Hermione seemed to find themselves in, Harry found that he wouldn't have it any other way if it meant he wouldn't be alone again.

Their lives soon however became more complicated with the sudden entrance of an Albus Dumbledore to Godric's Hollow. The man had simply appeared out of the blue one day, with no rhyme or reason.

Harry liked him almost immediately. Dumbledore gave off a sort of grandfatherly aura and he seemed to genuinely care about Harry's questions about the forest and what lay outside Godric's hollow. As the years passed, Dumbledore took Harry under his wing and it was him who taught Harry all he knew on what the forest truly held. From him, Harry learned that beings called the Fae lived within forests such as the one around Godric's Hollow and that they were the cause of all the strange incidents which occurred over the years.

Harry even came to learn that the real reasons for his parent's death was due to Fae involvement and that there was soon to be more chaos as a war between the fae and humans who resisted them was brewing. There were even fae, those like Ron as Harry came to find out, who opposed hurting humans and left their world to live in the mortal one.

As Harry learned more and more about the Fae, he could not help but feel within his heart, a stirring to protect what he knew as home. As he would grow over the years, it would be this call that ultimately change the course of his fate.

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's Wisp and just wanna say this is my first ever fanfic! Still improving on my writing and world building but critique is always appreciated! 
> 
> I really hope yall enjoy it, especially you snowy!!


	2. To Jump or Not to Jump?

(6 years later…..)

Harry rushed down the path which led to Dumbledore's cottage; careful not to slip on the snow which covered it. He had awoken rather late given he had stayed up late last night as anxiety twisted his stomach for the approaching day.

Today was his eighteenth birthday. Although rather exciting for some, Harry dreaded it for it would be time for his relatives to kick him out of the house now that he became of age. Though there was no love lost between him and his relatives, nervousness still filled his stomach for at the end of the day, he still had nowhere to go.

Harry had briefly considered at one point to stay with Ron but his already small home was filled to the brim with his other siblings. While Hermione was an option, her parents had recently left to another town on a call to pull some teeth.

His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts which he attempted to push away as the sight of Dumbledore's cottage came into view.

It was a rather interesting little place much like its owner. Colorful curtains sewn together with mismatched patches decorated the windows and strange little stone statues stood outside the entrance. He had barely raised his hand to the wooden door when it opened before him.

"Harry," the bright voice of Dumbledore greeted him. "I'm glad you could make it. Please, do come in," he said to him as he motioned for Harry to step inside.

Tapping the snow off of his boots, Harry stepped into the pleasant warmth of the cottage.  
Surprised, he noted the figures of Ron and Hermione already seated on the hideous floral couch Dumbledore owned.

"Er-I'm not late am I," he asked somewhat awkwardly. He hadn't known his friends would be joining but it must be something important for them to have come as well.

"No, no," Dumbledore assured him before steering him toward the couch,"please take a seat with your friends."

Scooting over, Hermione made some space for him to sit in the middle which Harry gladly accepted. Settling in, he watched as Dumbledore sat down across from the trio in his overstuffed armchair.

He pressed his hands together, a motion Harry had only seen him make when he had bad news to deliver. A sense of foreboding fell over him as Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak.

"I know it may seem rather sudden-," he coughed and then continued, "but it appears as though we have had a change of plans."

Silence descended upon the group.

"What sort of change do you mean," demanded Ron.

"Well Mr. Weasley, the kind of change that brings with it a few difficulties," Dumbledore answered him and the foreboding feeling in Harry only strengthened.

"Has something happened sir," Hermione voiced quietly, as if afraid of the answer she would receive.

“Some-ah-developments seem to have arisen.” At this Dumbledore took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Unfortunately Ms. Granger an incident has occurred which must be dealt with immediately,"

"An informant of mine has told me of a plan concocted by the fae." Dumbledore let out another sigh at this and replaced the spectacles on his face.

"As it stands, we have no choice but to stop them."

Harry heard Ron give out a sharp laugh. "In much respect sir, don't you remember what happened the last time we went against the Lord and his Court."

Dumbledore shook his head and Ron fell quiet at the dismissal. "Of course, how could I forget." He paused as if to shake off past memories. "But I fear that If we don't do something then they will ravage the surrounding towns until there is nothing left.”

"I would go but I must stay to protect this town. The town would not survive in my absence." At this Dumbledore turned his eyes to Harry and the unspoken request hung in the air. It was one that required sacrifice and courage Harry wasn't quite sure he had.

"You want us to go don't you,” he found himself whispering in spite of himself. He felt his friends next to him still at his words.

The previous warmth in the cottage now felt stifling and Harry found himself standing. He needing a moment to collect himself, moved to one of the windows near the couch.

"But Sir," Hermione began behind him. "I don't think you realize…"

Their voices faded into the background as Harry focused on trying to ignore the suffocating atmosphere and instead the scenery outside. He distantly noted the window faced the Forbidden Forest, the same one he was to enter and find the fae apparently.

“I know this is a difficult task set upon you but I believe you can do it Harry," Dumbledore’s imploring voice called to him. There was a tremble which he could hear in his words and it tugged on Harry’s heart

Dumbledore was still talking to him but his words still did not reach him. A bird flew past outside and landed in the snow, its red feathers a stark contrast against the snowy background. A drop of blood staining white.

“Harry…”

Pulling himself from the window, Harry met the eyes of his mentor. Their periwinkle blue stared back at him as they waited for his answer but Harry found it hard to voice his thoughts.

He wanted to tell Dumbledore that he was tired and that he wanted out. Wanted to say that he didn't care how things turned out and yet Harry couldn't because a part of him cared no matter what happened.

Dumbledore must had seen the inner conflict on Harry's face for he placed a steady hand on his shoulder.

"Remember Harry. _We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided_ ," he reminded him. These were the first words Dumbledore had told him when Harry first decided to join the resistance against the fae.

A voice told him to tell Dumbledore to do the task himself since he apparently knew so much about the Fae but he quickly squashed it down. No... this was what he had prepared for for years.

Letting out a deep sigh he turned to face his mentor and the faces of his friends.

"If it means bringing this war one step closer to an end, of course I will," he answered. He saw his friends heads nod in agreement along with the twinkle in Dumbledore’s eyes seeming to grow brighter.

Little had he known at the time he would ultimately be signing his fate with those words.

~~~

The hand me down cot groaned in protest as Harry sat down on it. The cot, which had been given to him as he had outgrown the cupboard years before, was an ancient thing but to Harry it was better than nothing. Although he had no room to himself and instead slept in the corner of the house’s kitchen, he was at least comforted by the crackling fire which burned every night to keep out the creeping cold.

As he stared at the licking flames, his thoughts started to drift as they often did in these past few months.

The meeting with Dumbledore had left Harry torn. At this point he was tired. He had trained and learned about everything he could in order to prepare himself for this moment. Yet it felt as though he was standing on the edge of an abyss where he had no choice but to jump and hope he was not met with jagged rocks at the bottom.

To jump or not to jump was a question that had plagued his mind for some time now. If he stayed, then there was only disappointment and broken expectations to come back too. In all honesty, besides Ron and Hermione, there was nothing here for him in Godric's Hollow.

On the other hand, if he left than who was to say that he would even return at all? Maybe he would simply become one of the many stories told of a boy who thought he could change his destiny. His fate would be that of those who had come before him, left to be remembered for his recklessness and eventually forgotten. He might even meet the same end as his parents, a victim to the Fae and their cruelty.

As daunting as it was, he dared not follow that particular train of thought. Instead, Harry reflected on all that had occurred during his time within the town.

The years had not been kind to neither him nor the other people of Godric's Hollow. Not only had the winters become harsher in their biting cold but the things which lived among the forest, be it beast or the fae as Harry had come to learn to call them early on, were taking their toll.

Although the wound was now long old, the loss of Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black came back to haunt him at times like this when Harry was alone. Harry had met Sirius only a few years before when he had broken out from the prisons of the Fae and joined the resistance against them. He'd bonded quickly with the man but just as suddenly as he was introduced into Harry's life, his own was cut short when a faerie raid had attacked Godric’s Hollow. There were few caulsaties but the night was still engrained in Harry's memory as he had watched his godfather be struck down by a fae with wild hair and a giggling laugh. Grief-stricken and enraged he had chased after her only to find himself stopped at the edge of the forbidden forest, the fae woman long disappeared within the limits of the trees.

Sirius Black was not the only one to have been claimed in the ongoing feud between human and fae. There had been the year where local village boy Cedric Diggory had been out past curfew only for his cold body to be found on the forest's edge, eyes glazed and mouth parted in surprise, as if he had been caught unaware.

And a few years before that a couple of the younger children had become lost as they played a game and came home blinded, saying a monster had paralyzed them and took away their sight. Even Harry’s own parents had been claimed as they had tried to stop Harry from being exchanged for a changeling fae when he had been a baby.

Those were only a few of the instances that had happened and yet everything continued as it always had where everyone turned a blind eye to the ever increasing tensions and these strange happenstances were swept aside.

It had angered him when the others would not act but eventually Harry had come to realize that they would never listen to him.

Despite this, he could not find it within himself to give up. Too many had sacrificed too much for him to simply turn his back on everything. As Dumbledore had once told him, _i_ _t was important. to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then could evil be kept at bay even if it was never quite eradicated_. Even at Harry's lowest points he had never once fully felt defeated for a fire seemed to burn inside him. It was a warmth which held the promise of something he only dared voice in the innermost parts of his heart.

The wood creaked as it was consumed by the flames drawing Harry out of his contemplation. He glanced at the window and was surprised to see dawn's early morning light peeking out over the distant mountains. He must had been lost in thought for longer than he realized.

Quietly he fed the fire some more kindling before pulling the covers of his cot over him in an effort to catch a few winks of sleep before he set out on his journey. Darkness overtook him as he listened to the warmth within him that sounded so much like the song of a bird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are finally getting along in the story! I actually wrote this part last because it was a little hard to get into Harry's character without making him to OOC but I tired my best. Also anything that's it italics is actually direct quotes from the HP series that I like to include in my fics. There's still more to come though!


	3. A Step into the Unknown

Harry's departure from the Dursley’s was one of awkward silence and surprisingly interesting developments.

Vernon had decided to abstain from the goodbyes and gone to seclude himself within his and Petunia’s room. Harry could have sworn he’d heard him mutter a "good riddance" as he had passed him. If Harry were younger, he might have replied back with a snarky comeback but there would be nothing to gain from it now. He’d come to conclude that bygones should be bygones and grievances like these were best left in the grave.

Drawing up the laces to his boots he looked around the small house which he had called home for the past eighteen years of his life. Squat and cramped, he was rather glad he was leaving behind this piece of him but there seemed to be a small part of him that mourned the loss of everything he had known, as harsh as it was at times. Even the wilting flowers on the window which his Aunt had desperately tried to salvage from the grasp of winter left an impression on him.

"Harry," a voice called and his gaze was drawn from the flowers towards his cousin Dudley who was standing at the door to his room.

He looked as though he was thinking hard about something, an expression which Harry had always found rather funny given he looked like an angry piglet when he did it. "Harry..I." He stopped, wiping his hands on the sleeves of his trousers. Harry raised his eyebrows at his spluttering attempts for words.

" _Ineverthoughtyouwereawasteofspacejustsoyouknow_ ", Dudley hurriedly fumbled out at last before slamming the door behind him.

Due to growing up with the likes of Dudley for years, Harry might have convinced himself he'd misheard him but given the tomato like quality the other’s face had taken on, he really had said those words. Shaking his head to himself, Harry gave one last assessment over the room before stepping out the door.

The biting cold nipped at his face and he pulled his scarf up to keep some semblance of warmth. He had barely opened the gate and stepped past it before another voice called to him. For a moment, Harry turned back to meet the eyes of his Aunt Petunia who stood at the doorway, a hand clutched to her chest. She had always been a rather timid woman in comparison to her husband but Harry knew she had a sharp tongue for both gossip and badgering. Even now she had a look on her face as if she were sucking on a lemon, but her nervousness betrayed her expression. He wondered if he had simply imagined her voice and turned to leave but her next whispered words stopped him.

“You’re mother would have been proud of you.” With that he heard the close of the door behind him and just like that a part of his life closed as well. He huffed out a laugh and with both his Aunt’s and Cousins peculiar actions occupying his mind, he began his trek.

~~~

It was rather strange, he pondered, for them to say or do anything that could be considered “nice” but maybe something had overcome them to have some change of heart. It was probably the fact that Harry was marching off to his all but impending death that caused them to not want to have any last regrets.

Whatever it was, Harry didn’t concern himself with it and as their words slipped from his mind, he noticed the odd emptiness of the town’s square as he walked through it. Even though it was winter, there was always at least some activity happening but now it felt like a graveyard without a soul in sight. Well.....almost without a soul.

He saw the clear outline of Luna Lovegood, a friend of his whom despite her somewhat odd qualities, Harry found endearing. She seemed not to notice his presence and was more concerned with staring down the well that lay in the town’s square.

“Hello Luna.”

“Hello Harry,” she replied after a moment's pause although she did not move from her position. “The nargles are particularly active today it seems.” At this she raised her eyes to him. “They tell me that this winter has brought change along.”

“Have they now?” As inane as Luna’s conversations sounded in certain moments, Harry was always reminded of how perceptive she could be.

“Yes…even the wrakspurts agree with them.” Her voice was distant but Harry knew better than too underestimate her abilities to be in multiple places within her head and in the present at once.

“I've come to say goodbye before I leave in case that-well..”he trailed off, not wanting to voice the unsaid words.

Her dreamy eyes slid to his figure but it felt as though she was peering through him rather than at him. It was a disconcerting experience for he felt as though she could see his warring distress which he was desperately trying to keep hidden from his face.

A slow smile spread grew across lips as she closed her eyes, as if listening to the nargles and wrackspurts she always talked about. “I have a feeling you'll return Harry, " she assured him and for a moment, he believed her words as truth. "Besides," she continued, " _things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end. If not always in the ways we expect_." Turning away from him she resumed her aimless staring off into the well, a sign of her returning back to whatever activity it was that previously held her attention.

Her words struck a chord in him. Although others had always dismissed Luna as crazy (Harry would admit he had as well at the beginning), she was always honest in her thoughts and never once doubted Harry's words when he confided to her. Maybe she was just hopelessly optimistic but still it brought some warmth to his soul.

“Thank you Luna,” he said to her. “I’ll be sure to remember your words.”

With the morning sun now in full swing, he turned to continue on towards the forest’s entrance wherein a small crowd of people had gathered. Coming up to the gathering he noticed several ginger heads among them and briefly caught the eye of Ron's sister Ginny. She had tears in her eyes and a sense of shame filled him, causing a lump to form in his throat. They had had a relationship, if you could call it that, in the past but unfortunately he had had to call it off given he didn't want to give her false hope in the case that he did not come back. Even now a sense of chargin stung him but he shoved it aside.

Mrs. Weasley stood next to Ron, shoving paper parcels of what appeared to be food into his pack. The Weasley Clan were one of the few fae to leave their home as they did not follow the same beliefs of human evilness and inferiority which ran rampant upon their kind. Mrs' Weasley and her family had always extended a kind hand towards Harry in his years growing up but now he felt dread in the pit of his stomach as he repaid her kindness by taking away her son.

“You’ll try to be safe won’t you sweetie,” she prompted Ron as she stuffed another parcel into his hands.

“Yes Mum I’ll try,” he heard Ron say in assurance to her. From what he could see, Ron’s ears were a bright pink.

“Ron I love you so much don't you know,” she sniffled out. “Oh sweetie I just-.” She flung herself in a hug around her son much too his muffled complaints.

Catching sight of Harry her eyes glistened wetly. “Oh Harry dear you as well.” She gave another sniffle at this. “I love you boys- and Hermione of course that sweet girl- so much I just can’t bear to think-” she stopped to hiccup before pulling Harry into their hug as well.

“Remember,” he heard her whisper into their hug, “in case if you need them-which I really hope you don’t- but in case you do there’s a few Fae tricks in Ron’s pack should the need arise.” Pulling away from them, she used the end of her scarf to wipe her eyes and gave them both kisses on the cheek before returning to be comforted by the other Weasley’s.

Dumbledore took her place as she left, his white beard and cloak blending in with the snowfall around them. Harry looked at his mentor of the last eight years, a man who he had leaned against in his times of need, a man who he hoped he had made proud even though Dumbledore had to have known that the chances were slim to none for them accomplishing the task set out before them.

Harry closed his eyes as the reality of the situation finally settled in on his shoulders. He really was going to do this wasn't he. Exhaling, Harry opened his eyes to meet those of Dumbledore for what would probably be his last time.

Dumbledore regarded him with an expression of morose acceptance. “ _You will find that help will always be given to those who ask for it_ ," he said to him as though he could read Harry's thoughts. Dumbledore held his gaze and nodded at him although Harry felt as though the twinkle in his eyes seemed to dim as well.

A hand placed itself on his shoulder and he turned to look at Hermione who had a quite intense look upon her face. She nodded at Dumbledore, having apparently overheard his words. " _Were in this together Harry_ ," she gently reminded him. " _You don't always have to go at everything alone_.”

Her words fed the lingering warmth inside of him which even now, refused to dissipate.

He saw Ron appear beside her with his freckled face partially covered by a red scarf. "Yeah mate. _You said to us once before, that there was time to turn back if we wanted to_.” He let out a strangled laugh. " _We’ve had time and now we’re coming with you."_

Hermione again nodded in agreement with his words, her bushy hair springing free from underneath her hat. "Besides," she whispered," _it’s sort of exciting, isn’t it, breaking the rules._ "

Harry looked at her grin then to Ron's determined face and he felt a sense of peace settle over him. Hermione was right and Harry felt himself smile in spite of the situation. As long as he had Ron and Hermione, there would be no room for him to doubt himself.

With a final last glance towards the world he was leaving behind, Luna's words echoed within his mind. Maybe she was right. Maybe, just maybe, they would come back.

With this propelling him foward, Harry stepped off the edge of the cliff, into the abyss that lay before him and together the trio took their first steps into the Forbidden Forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh they've finally done it! Now the action can really start!!!


	4. Silence of the Birds

Harry adjusted his bag for the hundredth time that hour and listened to the crunch of snow underneath his feet as the trio stopped to take a rest. They had been travelling for quite some time as the sun was now high in the sky compared to its faint light earlier in the morning. At the beginning the trio had been mostly silent, too on edge and consumed with anticipation to hold conversation but as the day wore on, and with no strange encounters to speak of, they began to marginally relax.

In fact they had become comfortable enough to the point where both Ron and Hermione had begun to bicker once again as was their default it seemed. As always, Harry was the odd man out to their arguments but he tended not to mind as sometimes their inane chatter could be at times quite entertaining.

"I can't believe you're already hungry," Hermione complained. "We need to conserve our rations for future usage.”

"But ‘Mione breakfast was already so long ago,” Ron whined to her. “A quick snack wouldn’t hurt us.”

“Then why don’t you eat one of the parcels your mum gave you,” she spit back at him. "For being a fae you sure do act like a human," he heard her grumble to herself. Harry envisioned a tail fluffing up behind her.

“I’m conserving my own rations for future use though.” Ron grinned at his use of her own words against her and it took all power within Harry not to facepalm at his friend’s antics.

"Is food all you ever think about," she groaned as she bent over to look in her pack for something to shut him up.

"We need food to live Hermione,” Ron noncommittally said back to her. He shook his head and put a hand to his heart. "Besides, you wouldn't understand the relationship between me and food."

An apple was thrown at Ron's head to which he dodged. Hermione's face looked like that of her cat Crookshanks, grumpy and unamused. “ _Just because you have the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn’t mean we all-_ ” The snap of a tree branch silenced their argument.

Immediately the trio formed a circle, back to back, as three sets of eyes zeroed in on the grove of trees to the far left. It could have easily been a rabbit or a simple clump of snow falling but given that they were in the Forbidden Forest, one could never be too careful. Argument now forgotten, the three tensed as they strained to listen for any accompanying sounds.

Seconds passed on and still the forest was silent in response. Harry saw Ron open his mouth next to him but a realization dawned upon him and he slapped a hand to his mouth. Ron gave out a muffled complaint but silently Harry put a finger to his lips and pointed to the sky. The ginger boy's eyes followed where he pointed in confusion until a flash of understanding lit up in his eyes, his face paling.

As Ron tugged on Hermione to relay the information Harry slid one of the knives he had concealed in his sleeve to his hand.

Although the forest was a relatively quiet place, at no time had Harry ever heard the silence of birds even if it was in the dead of winter.

He had amused himself earlier in their journey by listening to the bird calls and distinguishing what types of bird made them, a game he had gotten quite good at as a child. Even at night there had been the occasional screech of an owl, however, now there was no sound to be heard except for the shallow breathing of his friends beside him and the thrumming of blood in his ears. The sounds of the forest had become utterly quiet as the presence of a predator appeared.

By now Hermione had caught on as well and Harry felt her write out a fast message on his hand. He frowned at the idea of it, but even if he didn't like her plan, the chances of them being caught together were more than if they split up.

He caught her eyes and briefly nodded to show his understanding. He had just barely finished conveying the plan to Ron via signal when another twig snapped but this time it was right in front of them.

The trio broke out running even before the shadows had time to step out from the trees. Harry heard the low growls behind him as he and the other two sprinted ahead. They were fast but the sounds of whatever was following them persisted as they fled through the forest.

He could hear his friend's labored breathing intermingling with the sounds of more branches snapping and breaking behind them. Whatever was chasing them was big and it was fast.

Suddenly the wood began to thin out and the trio found themselves at a shallow stream. It was now or never and Harry only had a few moments to catalog his friends faces, both wearing expressions of grim determination.

"Stay safe," Harry told them. They both nodded their assent but no goodbyes could be exchanged as the sounds of their approaching chaser were beginning to catch up to them.

With no time to spare the trio split up into different directions, Ron going right and thus downstream, Hermione taking left heading upstream and Harry, well...the only option left was to go straight across the stream.

While relatively shallow, the freezing water sent up a shock up his legs but this only pushed him to keep running. Better cold than dead he thought as he jumped over the last stretch of muddy brook. He took one last glance behind him in search of his friends fleeing figures but the trees encased them with their maze like qualities and all Harry could do was keep running and hope they were fast.

With his concern for his friends safety tucked into his heart, Harry ran like he had never run before. All those years of Harry hunting by Dudley and his gang served him well as he flew through the trees. Adrenaline surged through his veins and although the branches reached out to scratch him, he kept running for if he stopped then who knew what fate lay behind for him.

As he ran, he could still hear the sounds of his chaser approaching. Whatever it was, Harry knew it had been following them ever since they stepped foot into the forest. He had noticed it immediately but did not want to tell his friends in case that whatever it was could understand them. He assumed by now that it was not a simple wolf which had caught their scent but rather something more dangerous.

Feeling himself slowing down, the beginnings of fear emerged and gripped his heart in an icy cage. Chancing a look behind him, a blur or shadows and loud breathing was still hot on his trail.

If he didn’t manage to somehow evade and lose the creature then there was still Plan B to fall back on. Harry really did not want to use Plan B.

Gripping the edge of his pack, he made the split second decision to toss his it. Although it held his supplies, it weighed him down and hopefully whatever it was would be more interested in it than him. Flinging it behind him, Harry heard a snarl as it hit it's target and with a sudden burst of newfound energy continued his frantic sprint for survival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An introduction of an unseen force has appeared. What is Plan B who knows but Harry better run fast is all I can say.


	5. A friend and foe

It felt as though he had been running for hours rather than the few minutes he actually had. Slowing down, Harry stopped to lean against a tree, if just for a moment to catch his breath. Peering behind him he was surprised to see there was no beast nor fae snapping at his heels. Maybe the pack had done the trick and whatever it was had been distracted enough to let Harry escape. 

Spotting a fallen log ahead of him, he took a step towards it but the effects of running for so long made themselves apparent as lightheadedness took over his senses and he felt himself clutch his stomach as he dry heaved. After keeping the contents of his meager breakfast somewhat down, Harry managed to stumble to the other side of the log and lay his back against it. 

The log was rather big and it offered a sense of protection both from the wind and from the view of any thing which might be on the lookout for him. Taking out a small bag he kept hidden inside his coat, Harry felt the cramps in his stiff muscles begin to gradually fade as he assessed his surroundings. 

The sounds of birds were here, a good sign and there was no invasive feeling like the one he had had before when he and his friends had first stepped into the forest. Speaking of said friends, he wondered if Hermione and Ron had managed to escape and hopefully that the beast had gone after Harry instead. Or maybe, a traitorous voice that sounded very similar to his Aunt Petunia, there had been more than one beast but he dared not let himself go down that mental path. 

Exhausted, his eyes began to droop and even though Harry knew that he still wasn't entirely out of the clear, he allowed himself to sleep if only for a few minutes. 

~~~

When Harry awoke it was to the sight of large golden eyes staring at him. He would have nearly screamed if it not were for him catching himself at the last moment. 

The owl blinked slowly at him, its golden eyes seemingly appraising his sudden alertness. 

With his senses finally leaving the confines of sleep, Harry silently observed the owl which for some odd reason was sitting upon his knee. She was a rather beautiful bird, with her snowy white feathers blending in to the winter background. Maybe she had thought he was dead and was simply looking for an easy meal to feed off of. 

His aching joints brought him back from his observations, forcing him to stretch from the curled position he had fallen asleep in. 

The owl gave a disgruntled hoot as she was forced to hop off her knee perch but surprisingly stayed by him. A rather funny owl Harry reflected. Considering how much larger he was compared to her he would have assumed that her curiosity would have faded by now and been replaced with fear but she seemed unafraid of him. Who knew she might have just smelled the food in his small bag thus peaking her interest. 

The boy and bird regarded each other with cautiousness, neither knowing what the other wanted. 

“Don't suppose you'd know the way out of here do you,” Harry asked half joking and half serious. The last of dawn's light was slowly seeping from the sky and the confines of night were creeping in to take its place. 

The owl blinked again but this time pecked at Harry’s bag. “Thought not,” he grumbled to himself. He didn't know why he had thought the bird would answer him but it was worth a try. 

She hooted louder and began to peck at his bag more intensely. 

“Okay! Okay! I’ll give you something,” he berated her as he shooed off her savage attack on his worn burlap. Sharing a bit of food with her wouldn't hurt too much he guessed. 

Taking out a bit of dried meat, he broke off a piece and held it out to the owl, careful to not get his fingers too close to her sharp beak. She gobbled the offering down easily and stared at him with a look he could only describe as expectancy for more. 

“You’re a strange owl I'll tell you that,” Harry murmured to it as he fed her another piece. Munching on his own bit, he took in a view of the space around him. There was no sign at all that anything had changed before he fell asleep and this comforted him to some degree. Finishing the small snack he slowly stood up much to the protest of his stiff joints. 

It occurred to him as he continued to document the area that at this point he was lost. There were no distinctive markings like the ones the group had left earlier in the journey to find their way back and everywhere he looked the trees stood in solidarity, offering no help at all. 

A motion drew his attention to a nearby tree as the owl, apparently having finished her own meal, hooted softly at him. 

“You're welcome..I guess,'' he told her. Even if she was just an owl, her company, although brief, had given him some solace. Not counting the thing which had chased them earlier, the Forbidden Forest was not as bad as Harry had been lead to believe. It had a certain beauty to it with its white skeleton like trees and evergreens in contrast to the the white snow. Hell, even the wildlife was approachable. 

He had just started to leave when the owl hooted once more at him. 

Harry was slightly puzzled at what more could she want. Having his attention back on her again, the owl briefly took flight only to land on a nearby tree in the opposite direction Harry was heading. Again she hooted, her golden eyes staring at him as if to convey some sort of message. 

It briefly crossed his mind that maybe she was trying to guide him? He quickly dismissed that as silly but the owl sat as she was, as if waiting for him to follow her. After a moment’s thought, Harry decided that stranger things had happened to him and while animals offering him help was certainly up there, he really didn't have anything to lose at this point. 

“Alright then if you say so,” he announced to no one in particular and set off to follow the snowy owl who for all means was the strangest bird Harry could ever recount meeting. 

```

Harry’s lungs burned and he felt himself crumple to the ground as his leg twisted over a hidden root in the snow. Wildly, he scrambled to get up but a flare of pain caused him to cry out as his used his (at best sprained at worst broken) ankle. Panicked, he lurched to the side as something came flying out of the darkness and hit the tree next to him with a sickening thud. It seemed that no matter how hard Harry tried, trouble seemed to find him despite his best efforts. 

He had been following the owl earlier like the madman he was when had stopped to take a break against a large evergreen. He had barely rested against it before the owl had let out a loud screech and promptly flown off. 

Harry, whom had been startled by her sudden cry, had almost yelled after her when he felt it. That same stillness as he had right before him, Ron, and Hermione had been cornered. He'd frozen up as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. 

The same invasive sensation was back just like all the times he had felt eyes on him when he had gone to collect firewood as a young child. Something was watching him. 

The desire to flee buzzed in his mind, but another part of him wanted to fight, to be a coward no more and show them what he was really made of. He had just been starting to lean towards the latter when in the silence, an apple rolled out of the shadows towards him. 

He was already running before the apple had even stopped. It was the same as the one Hermione had thrown at Ron during their argument, green and bruised. Harry darted through the trees and a realization occurred to him. This was no longer a simple journey as he had originally thought. No, this was a game to whatever it was that was chasing him and unfortunately Harry had just been found. 

And here he was now, having evaded the things attempts to catch him only to fall prey to a bloody tree root. Harry let out a few colorful curses. He was going to burn this forest down if it was the last thing he would do. 

Limping, he tried to disregard the tremendous pain licking its way up his leg when he spotted a clearing through the trees. Although it left him exposed, his only option was to keep going. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Harry burst out into the clearing just as he felt the presence behind him take another swipe, causing a nearby tree to explode into splinters. 

Clambering up to take a defensive position, Harry found himself face to face with what had been following him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahaha I'm so excited to introduce Hedwig. I love her so much and wanted to incorporate her someway into the story. The next part is my favorite so stay tuned!


	6. Of Blood and Fire

The fact of the matter was that this creature was certainly no animal became the first thought that formed in Harry’s mind as he got over his initial horror. He struggled to discern what it was given that the moving mist like shadows kept its form shrouded but here and there he caught snatches of pale skin and flashes of dark red eyes, the color of blood. 

It was not an animal but not anything quite human either. Human or not, the time had come for Harry to meet his maker. It was time to employ Plan B and drawing both his iron laced knives, he sent a silent prayer to whomever may be listening. 

The mist like shadows rippled but despite the creatures apparent advantage, it made no attempt to make the first move. 

Despite the confining silence which draped over them, Harry distantly heard the echo of laughter and it dawned upon him that the thing was waiting for him to lash out first. It was waiting for him to prove his worth as an opponent, to show he was not a coward to be trampled upon. Fury burst in Harry at the creature's perceived impertinence and he stepped forward. The showdown had thus begun. 

~~~

Iron filled Harry’s mouth as he spit out the blood running down his face. He had barely managed to land any blows upon the creature in the first act of their fight. In fact, he could barely get within distance of it before some mysterious force seemed to retaliate, forcing him to draw back. 

Harry could feel his energy wearing thin and the odds of his situation were not looking good. All the while he could feel the creature’s boredom, as if he simply saw Harry as a mere human to be squashed. 

In a last ditch effort to gain the upper hand, Harry got as close as he dared before rolling and flinging the snow he had grabbed in the direction of the creature's face on the off chance it would temporarily blind them. 

The wind was knocked out of him and his knives fell from his grasp as Harry felt a force slam into him. Dazedly, he felt himself land on his back only there was a shadow hovering over him and a pressing weight upon his chest. 

Pale hands wrapped around his throat and he struggled to get their vice like grip off of him. The creature only pressured further and Harry fought with all his might to continue on but it was as if all the energy he held was sapped from his being. 

Laughter echoed in his mind, but whether it was his or the creature’s he couldn’t tell. It ridiculed him and mocked him for his weakness and vulnerability.

Here he was to die, a sacrificial lamb led to the slaughterhouse. Harry could almost laugh if it were not for the fact that everything he had trained for had failed him. 

The creature tightened its hands and colored spots danced across his vision with the sky slowly beginning to darken in spite of the fiery golds of sunrise which danced across the sky like the flames of a fireplace. 

Harry could feel the desire to survive, the want to live fueling his efforts as it had so many times before when he had been in danger. However, unlike those times before, he felt as though his luck had finally run out given that he could find nothing left. At this point, resistance seemed futile and only death awaited him. 

(He feebly struggled against the creature but his strength and limbs failed him) It dawned upon Harry that at least his death would be like that of his parents whom died at the hands of the fae. (He gasped his last breath.) Who had sacrificed everything trying to protect him. (His body shuddered and went still.) Who died fighting for his sake.

.   
.   
.   
.   
.   
.   
.  
. 

It was that sudden thought that ignited something in him, a heat which unfurled itself within his heart and licked its way through his bones. 

No....something within himself answered. No.....He was not to die here. 

.   
.   
. 

It was as though the forest had been set ablaze and a fire consumed him whole. The flames roared like that of a lion as they filled his very core with the heat of a sensation he had only felt in brief moments of danger. 

The fire spoke to him of courage and cowardice, of strength and weakness, of hope and fear. It told him to fight with tooth and nail. To fight through blood and bone. He felt it burn brighter and Harry saw white as it brought a blinding light to the darkness surrounding him. It hissed and crackled, blazed and incinerated every thought and feeling. The fire told him it would protect him as he would raise from the ashes of his broken dreams and wishes to the burning inferno of a dawn filled with promise. 

As the light of sunrise broke, streaming through the trees, Harry listened to the thrumming in his blood, the heat within his veins, the song within his soul. He called to the fire that burned within him in a last desperate cry for help. 

.  
.   
. 

And just as it always had, the fire answered him. 

.   
.   
.

The snapping of a tree branch echoed in Harry's ears as he suddenly felt the rough texture of bark appear in his out swept hand. The fire exploded within him as he slammed the branch against what he assumed was the creatures head. 

Air flooded his lungs as the beast howled and let go of Harry to clutch its head. Without time to spare, Harry swiftly kicked him will all the strength he had left and rolled away. 

Staggering, he used the branch to lift himself up. Gasping, he faced the creature as he had before but this times things had changed. He could no longer feel any boredom, only righteous anger coming from it and this only spurred Harry on. 

“Come on you, let's finish what we started,” Harry barked out. "TOGETHER!"

Again, he felt the warmth in his body only this time it did not seep away like it had when he was younger, the embers of whatever it was remained burning, reminding him of the comfort the fireplace next to his cot had always brought to him. 

The creature snapped at him, its form morphing and twisting. The two circled each other, Harry limping with his broken tree branch, the creature with his dark shadows and red eyes. 

This time the creature did not wait for Harry to make a move and instead struck. 

Harry was ready though and he swiftly leapt to dodge the attack. Blood from a cut on his forehead dripped into his eyes, obscuring his vision but that did not stop him. At this point nothing could stop the two beings except death itself. The two resumed their dance neither willing to bow down while the other remained standing. 

“If I'm going down,” he gasped in a breath, "I'm bloody taking you with me,” Harry snarled at the creature, grabbed the iron knife strapped to his thigh and with a speed he didn't know he possessed, burst at the creature. 

.   
.  
.

Only his knife met air as the thing abruptly vanished and Harry barely had time to backtrack before a heavy weight dropped on his back. He tried to flip himself over and pin the creature but rough hands pinned his arms to his back, forcing him to drop his knife once more. 

“Come on then, kill me-” he hissed out. There would be no tomorrow for him to look forward but this thought did not scare him in the least. As death loomed over him, he hoped, that in the end, he had done all he could. 

Feeling the stare of the creature on him, he waited in anticipation but strangely he did not feel the press of hands around his throat. Instead he felt the thing lean against him and a weirdly wet sensation appeared against his cheek. 

Given that it wasn't strangulation, Harry frankly couldn't care at the moment what it was doing and upon seeing how he wasn't being viciously torn apart, searched within himself to reach that burning feeling like he had before. But before he could grasp it though the weight on top of him suddenly disappeared. 

Fresh air flooded his lugs for the second time that morning and if Harry lived through this, he would never take air for granted again. 

Stumbling up, he wiped his check where it registered to him the creature had had LICKED him of all things. Speaking of said creature, Harry found it standing across from him on the edge of the clearing. The two stared at each other, one in apprehension the other in what could only be classified as interest. 

The creature cocked its head to the side as if in apparent puzzlement but Harry got the distinct impression of amusement radiating off of it which irritated him to no end. Whatever it was this thing had in mind, he wasn't going to go down without a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhh this was my favorite part to write and super excited that it got done. I love writing action scenes even if I tend to struggle with them. Don't worry you'll finally get to meet the creature in the next part ~


	7. A Debt to Pay

The creature took a step forward and in a grotesque display of something extraordinarily unordinary, the darkness morphed into the form of a man. This transformation both surprised and sickened Harry immensely given it was not a pretty sight. 

As he tried to recover from this bizarre show of whatever the creature had done, Harry noted on the man's appearance. He was rather tall, and with his fair complexion and dark features, he had the looks of a prince from one of Dudley's storybook illustrations he'd once seen. Black robes draped around his body, hinting at a muscular physique Harry would have envied in any other situation. 

The man smiled at him and Harry felt himself take a step back. Despite his good looks, his smile reminded him of a wolf, wicked and sharp. Was this another trick he wondered? An attempt to lure Harry into a false sense of security by taking a human form? He raised the tree branch to defend himself.

The man merely blinked at his reaction, making no move to strike. 

The two continued their staring contest at each other. Harry prepared himself for a surprise attack but still the man gave no indication of planning to resume their fight. Harry quickly scanned the edges of the clearing. Maybe this was a trap and there were others waiting for Harry to let down his guard. 

“You're a rather intriguing little human are you not,” a smooth voice spoke to him. 

Spooked, he turned his attention back towards the man but didn't answer. He did not know what this man(?) wanted from him. Even more so, he had heard stories from Dumbledore of how the inhabitants in the woods used trickery with their words to capture others. 

The man stared in fascination at him and Harry fought the urge to hide behind a tree. It was the same invasive feeling as before, as though eyes were watching his every move only multiplied tenfold. 

The man seemed to mistake his silence for shyness or maybe he just didn't care about Harry's selective muteness. “Not only did you manage to evade my snatchers” the man's smile momentarily disappeared but at Harry's dark look it immediately reappeared, “not everyone, least of all a human, can say they've done that.” 

Harry still did not say anything. Even now, he noticed that the sounds of the forest did not seem to reach them, it was as if they were in a bubble. The man did not seem to mind his silent responses and in fact his smile looked as if it grew wider. 

“What's your name boy?”

“Don't call me that,” Harry snapped back at him. The title brought up memories of days of dark lonely cupboards and long ignored wishes for a family who loved him. 

The man's eyes narrowed at the clipped remark and the red of his eyes seemed to glow. “I can't call you anything if you don't tell your name.” 

He inched a step forward, causing Harry to inch a step back. 

“What's your name,” his velvet voice asked but his words seemed different than before. His words called to Harry and they promised him everything he wanted, his friends safety, a family, anything Harry wanted if only he told his name to the man. 

The man seemed annoyed at Harry's dismissal, as if Harry were a dog who refused to roll over for its master. “I'll ask again, won't you tell me your name?” 

Again, the words tugged at Harry and he felt a sense of safety wrap around him. Maybe telling the man his name wouldn't be so bad. Besides, Harry was a common name, it wasn't like there was anything special about it.

“Ha-” he started to say involuntarily but doubled over and hissed as a heat burned within his core.The warmth scorched the feelings of security to ashes and with it came a warning. Something told him not to tell the man his name and to not trust his words. 

Taking a moment to gather himself, Harry straightened back up and met the expectant gaze of the man. A name appeared within his mind and although he did not want to use it, it was better than being known as Dudley Dursley or Roonil Wazlib. 

He grinned impishly at the man. “Its Evan's if you’re so desperate to know.” 

The man's smile completely left his face at this and his expression darkened, causing a chill to go up Harry's spine. 

“I don't like it when others lie to me boy.” 

Harry bristled again at the subtle insult but he held his ground. If this were to be his final stand than so be it. He wouldn't let his opponents words (or looks, the voice in his head whispered) distract him. 

“It wasn't a lie,” he gritted out. Although technically it was not his name, he had inherited it from his mother with it being the only thing he had to remember her by besides his green eyes. 

It appeared as though the man was growing tired of the situation and although Harry got a bad feeling from him, he wasn't too keen on going back to duel with the creature from before.

“Why don't you tell me your name then,” Harry called out to the man in an effort to keep him distracted. 

The man smirked and shook his head, clucking his tongue in disapproval at Harry. “That's not how we play this game Evan's. I get to ask the questions here.” His figure blurred and then vanished only to reappear far closer to Harry than he would have liked. “For example, where are your little friends,” the man purred out to him. 

Hope briefly welled up in Harry's heart at the mention of his friends. From what it sounded like from the man’s words, they had been able to escape. Feeling slightly petty, he chose his words with scathing sarcasm. 

"I have no idea what you mean,” Harry quipped back. “I'm utterly alone,” he added, using the branch to motion to the empty forest around him as if to make his point. 

The man’s eyebrows pinched together and ,really, even in the face of what was probably his death, Harry felt ever so vindicated at annoying whomever this man was. 

“You'd better watch your tongue boy,” the man hissed at him, apparently having become fed up. “You're begging for trouble.” 

The voice in him told him to watch it but really Harry was just a simple man and he couldn't resist the temptation to get one more jab in. He figured the more time he bought, the better his chances stood. 

“I don’t go looking for trouble,” he gave a devious grin to the man, “trouble usually finds me.”

The man vanished again and Harry sprinted forward to escape the narrow swing of a hand from behind him. He had been fooled once before but it wouldn't happen a second time. 

The man noted his quick instincts as he stood in the place harry had previously occupied but stalked forward to circle him. 

Harry raised the branch in front of him from where it had fallen at his side, ready to swipe in case he got to close. 

“Your rather a paradox of half lies and half truths Evan's.” He paused in front of Harry, close enough to where Harry calculated he could hit him if he took a well enough aim. 

“Rather fitting for a Fae don't you think.” 

His words stopped Harry in his tracks. “A what?”

The man paused, as if caught surprised but suddenly his grin returned as if he had just received news all humans had been wiped off the face of the wood. 

Harry felt the compulsion from once before as the man applied a charm to his voice. “You're a Fae Evan's."

Harry faltered. There was no way he could be a fae. He had lived his whole life as perfectly boring human Harry Potter. The man was a fae and he was simply lying as fae did but the treacherous voice deep within the recesses of his mind recalled every strange instance that had ever happened to him. If he really was fae, then everything he had learned, everything he had been told was--

“Or rather,” the man interrupted the train wreck of Harry's thoughts and to his horror licked the blood, Harry's blood to be exact, off his hand, “a halfling from what your blood tells me.” 

"No, your lying," Harry exclaimed as he tried to contain the nausea which was climbing its way up his throat. 

The mans smile turned sharp and feral “No one ever told you?”

With a sudden burst of speed and grace, the man crossed the last few steps between the two and grabbed the other end of the branch Harry held. 

"This is why you humans disgust me. You hide behind lies.” He sneered down his nose at Harry and for once Harry didn't have anything to say, still in shock at the stranger's words. The man pulled the branch sharply from Harry's hands and threw it across the clearing. Harry was tempted to go after it. 

“We Fae never lie I tell you,” the other gave a bitter laugh, “Of course were labelled as the deceitful ones when it comes to you humans though."

He took another step and Harry scrambled backwards only to feel the press of a tree against his back. Trapped. He was utterly and completely trapped. 

He turned to run but the man captured his hands and shoved his knee between Harry's legs to pin him against the tree. Harry bucked wildly but a faint pressure applied to his wrists warned him that his ankle wouldn't be the only thing that would be broken. 

Tracing the drying blood which stained his forehead, the man swiped through a still fresh trail that ran down Harry's cheek. Bringing it to his face, he assessed the bloody finger before licking it clean, an act that really shouldn't had been as filthy as the man made it look. Satisfied with the taste, the man turned his attentions from the blood back towards Harry, 

“It's been long time since I met a Halfing you know. All have either gone into hiding or,” he paused as if considering his next words,“dissapeared.” 

“Glad to know I can keep the race going,” Harry bit out and given the dark flash which crossed the other's face, it had been the wrong words to say. 

The man crowded into Harry's space, and it briefly flashed across his mind that if it had been any other situation then the one he found himself in, he might not have minded it too much. The man pet Harry's face and peered into his eyes. 

“Hmmmm...I quite like your eyes.” Gripping his face he leaned closer and a fire, though not one for fighting and blood lust, sparked within Harry. “Maybe I should take them as payment for your insolence to me earlier."

The previous thought along with any other traitorous feelings of warmth shriveled up and were promptly put out at his words. 

The man used his finger to expose Harry's mouth but was careful to evade the bite Harry attempted to give him. "Or maybe I'll rip out your tongue given that seems to be the cause of our problems here." The man seemed lost in thought as he contemplated what he should take. 

“I’d rather die than give you any part of me,” Harry spit out at him. He tried to make another attempt break free but the man grabbed his already sore neck and caged him against the trunk. 

“You're my weapon now Evan's.” The red eyes of a soulless creature met the green eyes of a boy with a burning soul. “And I'm going to use you as I see fit whether you like it or not."

He patted Harry's face in a gross display of either sympathy or ownership, Harry didn't know which one was worse. “You're life depends on me now.” His Cheshire grin from earlier returned and Harry's stomach dropped at the sight. “You're in debt to me now." 

Grasping Harry's face within his hand, the man turned it so he could whisper into his ear. 

“And a fae never forgets their debts.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun...dun....dun....
> 
> Hello! Wisp here! I actually planned to have this story be a one shot since its part of a gift exchange and leave it off on an ambiguous note but now I'm reconsidering my original decision.
> 
> I have a lot of ideas about how this story could unfold but then again I don't know ~. Thanks for reading so far though and any critique is always welcomed!

**Author's Note:**

> A/N This is a multi chapter gift for Snowy_Rain! I posted the first chapter but there will be more to come very soon! Obviously I went along with your Faerie Au and had a lot of fun with it!


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